Ash Ketchum: Legends
by Ashura Satoshi
Summary: (Sequel to Ash Ketchum's Redemption) How will Ash cope with his new life as a Champion? It's not long before he finds out about a new kind of Tournament, but will he be up for the challenge? To make matters worse, there are two girls battling all out for his heart. Who will end up with who and will Ash be victorious in this tournament?
1. Chapter 1

**Ash Ketchum: Legends**

* * *

Chapter 1: A New Journey

* * *

**_(3 years later)_**

It was another quiet and peaceful morning in the small town known as Pallet, home of the famous Professor Oak as well as the new Kanto Champion, Ashton Ketchum.

Today was a pretty hot day, but there was a nice, cool breeze that flew past the grassy fields. From a distance, you could hear the cheerful Pokemon playing with each other. Oddishes, Caterpies, Pidgeottos, you name it.

But we now join our favorite hero, Ash Ketchum, who was now revisiting his house in order to take a small break from the Pokemon League. In his house also lived his mother, Delia Ketchum.

"Ashton, honey!" shouted Delia from downstairs.

"Yes mom?"

"Your girlfriend, Stephanie is here!"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Ash exclaimed while getting out of bed and throwing on his black cloak

"Pika Pika! (You so like her!)

"Oh shut up Pikachu," Ash told his yellow rat companion.

Ash quickly made his way downstairs and was greeted by two women.

The first was none other than Delia Ketchum, Ash's mom. She had the same auburn eyes as Ash but had brunette hair, which was tied neatly into a ponytail. She also had on her regular light pink blouse with a light blue skirt. Nothing too fancy.

The other was Stephanie, a 17 year old girl with long blond hair that cascaded flawlessly down her back. Her hair was beyond remarkable, but her deep, blue, sapphire eyes could make any guy's heart melt. However, she was no ordinary girl. She was Cynthia's younger sister and the 4th member of Ash's Elite Four. She had on a grey coat similar to Cynthia's, but was a bit shorter. Overall, Stephanie was a pretty mellow and kind person, but could be scary when upset.

Staring back at them was Ash Ketchum, an 18 year old boy, who had auburn eyes filled with uncontrolled enthusiasm and determination. He wore a long black cloak with a hoodie. He was currently not wearing the hood, so his spiky raven hair poked out in different directions. He was more famously known as the Kanto Champion as well as the handsome young man that girls knew him best as. On his shoulder was Pikachu, his longtime companion and best friend.

"Hi Ash," Stephanie waved, with a light crimson blush visible on her cheeks.

"Hey, Stephanie, what brings you here?"

"Oh, well, I was sent here by Lance, the Pokemon Champion of Johto to tell you to return to the Pokemon League."

Ash looked at her curiously. "What for? I don't have to be back for another month."

"Yes, but they're holding a Championship Tournament, where all of the elite four members and champions worldwide have to compete. I guess it's to see which trainer is the best of the best."

"Ok, so when is the tournament?" Ash asked, new excitement appearing on his face.

"It's being held next week," Stephanie answered.

"Aww. Ash, you've only stayed here for a couple of weeks." Delia said with a disappointed look."

"Sorry mom, it looks like I have to attend this. I can visit some other time though," Ash replied, taking his mother into a tight hug.

Delia returned the hug and smiled. "Ok, honey. I'll be right here waiting then."

Ash smiled back at her. "Ok, I'll be right back to pack my stuff."

Delia nodded, while Stephanie watched Ash run upstairs.

"So, Stephanie, I see you've taken a liking to my son," Delia said with a sly grin.

Stephanie blushed and waved her hands defensively. "N-No I haven't! He's just a really good friend."

"Oh don't lie to me. I've seen the way you've look at him."

"Fine...I guess I do l-like him," She stuttered.

"Ah, I've always thought you two would make a cute couple, but you better hurry because I hear there are many other girls after him."

"W-What?" Stephanie questioned the older woman.

Ding Dong!

"Huh, I wonder who that could be," Delia said to herself.

Delia made her way to the door and opened it.

"Hi Ms. Ketchum!"

"Hmm...It looks like I got everything. Right Pikachu?" Asked Ash.

"Pika Chu! (Yeah looks like it!)

"Haha, good," Ash replied until he caught sight of something.

"Pika Pika Chu!" (Hey it's your trophy from when you won that tournament 3 years ago.)

Ash smiled as he remembered the day he won the tournament.

* * *

**_(Flashback)_**

"Garchomp, Dragon Claw!" shouted Cynthia.

"Blastoise, counter with Hydro Pump!" Ash commanded to his Pokemon.

Garchomp's talons glowed with a bright white as it charged at Blastoise. Just at that moment, Blastoise withdrew into its shell and spun rays of water at Cynthia's Pokemon. Garchomp screamed in pain as it was hit by many beams of water.

"Garchomp is unable to battle!" "Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town wins and will be awarded the title of Champion!"

Ash smirked as he took the trophy from the announcer.

"Well done Ash. That certainly was a great battle," The Sinnoh Champion praised.

"Thanks Cynthia," Ash smiled as he turned to wave to his friends.

"YEAH, ASH!" shouted all of his friends. Brock, Gary, Max, Misty, Dawn, and May.

* * *

**_(Flashback end)_**

"Yeah...those were some good memories," Ash said.

"Pika Pi" (Yep.)

Ash threw his backpack over his shoulder and went back downstairs with Pikachu.

"Ash!"

"Wha?" Ash managed to say before he was tackled into a bone crushing hug.

"May? Is that you?" Ash managed to say.

"Oh, Ash! It's so good to see you!" May replied, burying her head in his chest.

Stephanie clenched her fists in anger as she watched the two cuddling on the floor.

"Haha, it's good to see you too," Ash chuckled as he carefully wrapped his arms tighter around her.

"Ok! I think that's enough you two!" Stephanie shouted, while pulling Ash away from May.

Delia giggled slightly at the scene.

Ash got up and got a better look at May. May was a 17 year old girl, who wore a red t-shirt along with a black, dusky skirt that reached just above her knees. She had pure sapphire eyes, similar to Stephanie's, but a lighter tone. Her bandana was long gone, so what now showed was long brunette hair that reached her mid back. May had matured a lot during the years, but she was still as beautiful as the day Ash first met her.

"What are you doing here, May?" Ash questioned his friend.

"Well…I've heard about the Pokemon Championship, so I thought I'd visit and we could all travel back to the Pokemon League together." May answered innocently.

"What? How did you know about the Championship if I didn't?" Ash asked suspiciously.

"It's something called the news, silly. And it's not just the elite trainers that are invited. Everyone is invited to watch!" May said, while quietly giggling.

"Well in that case, I guess you could come with us. Mom, how about you come too?"

"Oh, sweetie, I would, but I have a lot to take care of around the house."

"Oh, alright then…oh and May, you've met Stephanie, right?"

May gave a quick glare to Stephanie before smiling to Ash_. _"Yeah, of course!"

Stephanie glared back at May and said. "Ok, now that that's settled, let's get going. The ferry to the Pokemon league is leaving soon."

"Alright. See you later mom. I'll miss you." Ash said, giving his mom a hug.

"Goodbye Ash, good luck with your matches!" Delia said returning Ash's embrace.

The two girls each exchanged hugs with Delia as well.

"Goodbye, Ms. Ketchum," Stephanie said while hugging Delia.

"Goodbye to you too, Stephanie! I wish you good luck with Ash."

Stephanie blushed before pulling away.

"Let's go guys!" Ash said before darting out the door.

"Wait up Ash!" Stephanie and May both shouted after the boy before running out the door.

"Good luck Ash. I can see both of those girls like you very much. I can only wonder who will be victorious in winning your heart." Delia thought as she carefully, but quietly closed the front door, excited for the trios following adventure.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: True Love?

* * *

"Ash, wait up!" The two girls shouted in unison.

Ash, being the overexcited person he is, ran and ran, ignoring the pleading calls from the girls for him to slow down. Even Pikachu was overwhelmed by his trainer's speed, began to cling to his arm for dear life.

Ash finally came to a complete stop and glanced at the ferry in front of him. "Guys, we're here."

"Yeah Ash, we know," Stephanie said, regaining her energy from the chase.

"Arceus." "Ash you never change, do you?" May said, also regaining her energy.

"Sorry," Ash replied, rubbing his arm sheepishly.

Stephanie smiled. "It's fine." "At least we aren't late for the ferry."

"Haha…I guess so." Ash replied.

"Wow, there sure are a lot of people here," May said to the group.

Ash took a look around. "Yeah, they must be pretty excited about the tournament."

"I'll say…" Stephanie muttered.

…

…

"Last calls for the ferry to the Pokemon League!" "Last calls for the ferry to the Pokemon League!" The captain of the ship announced over the loudspeaker.

Just now, swarms of people started approaching the ferry. Every one of them excited for the new championship tournament.

"That's us!" "Let's go!" Ash said to the two girls, running off again.

May sighed. "He never learns."

"You're telling me." "I dealt with this for the past couple of years." Stephanie told May, while walking onto the ferry."

May frowned slightly, but also walked onto the ferry, joining her friends.

The three regrouped as soon as they spotted each other on the ferry.

"Alright, I guess we should go to our rooms…" Ash started to say.

"HEY GUYS LOOK!" "IT'S ASH, THE KANTO CHAMPION, AND STEPHANIE FROM THE ELITE FOUR." A random passenger shouted.

"Oh Arceus…" Ash thought.

A huge crowd formed around the trio. Each person shouting out questions to the celebrities.

"Ash!" "Can you battle me?"

"Ash!" "Can you give me some battling tips?"

"Ash!" "Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Ash!" "What's up with you and Stephanie?"

Ash and Stephanie took a short glance at each other, but then quickly looked away and blushed.

May began to get annoyed, but what startled her most were the questions about Ash and Stephanie. She even noticed how they began to stare at each other.

"Ok, that's it everyone!" "No more questions for the Champion!" May shouted to the crowd, whilst pulling Ash by the sleeve of his dark cloak.

Stephanie sighed, but followed the duo.

"Thanks May," Ash said with a shy smile.

"It's not a problem," May said plainly.

Just then, Stephanie caught up to them. "Well…we might as well go get our rooms," She said.

"Yeah…I agree." "Look, the front desk is right there!" Ash said, pointing to a Nurse Joy who was standing behind a desk.

"Ok, great," May said, grabbing Ash by the hand and dragging him to the front desk.

Stephanie growled, but decided to set it aside for now.

"Hello, how may I help you?" Nurse Joy asked kindly.

"We're here to get our rooms," Ash announced to the nurse.

"Oh right!" "You're the Champion and Elite Four!" Nurse Joy said, mentally smacking herself. "I have your rooms, but I'm afraid there are only two available with one bed each."

Ash blushed heavily at her statement.

"We'll take it." "You can sleep with me, Ashy," May said to the champion shyly.

"No, Ash can sleep in my room." "After all we are in the same League," Stephanie countered.

"Actually…Stephanie…I think I'll go with May since it'll give us time to catch up. I haven't seen her for years," Ash said, a light blush forming onto his tender cheeks.

Stephanie sighed. "Fine…"

May squealed inside. "Yay! Come on; let's go to our room, Ashy!" The coordinator said, tugging at Ash's arm.

"Alright, alright, I'm comin!" Ash said, following her.

"I guess I should go to my room then," Stephanie said, walking to her room.

After several minutes of searching, Ash and May finally found their room.

"118…118…oh!" "Here it is!" Ash said triumphantly

"Oh, good!" May replied.

The duo hesitantly stepped into the room. Overall, their room was quite nice since Ash got special treatment being the Champion. It had a huge plasma screen TV, a bathroom, a balcony with a beautiful view of the sea, and sure enough…one king sized bed.

Ash's blush returned. "I-I g-g-guess I c-could sl-sleep on the floor and y-you could sleep on th-the b-ed."

"No way!" "We have one huge bed, so we might as well share it!" May said, her cheeks flushing a light crimson color.

"O-Ok." "I-If it's ok with you," Ash replied, trying to hide his face.

"Alright." "Now that that's settled, I guess we should go check up on Stephanie," May said rather calmly.

"Alright, let's go." Ash said quietly.

May wrapped her arm around Ash's and led him out the door.

"Where is Steph's room again?" May asked curiously.

"She told me earlier that she would be in room 218, so right down the hall," Ash told the coordinator.

Knock Knock!

Stephanie ran over to the door and opened it.

"Hey Stephanie, would you like to come with us to lunch?" asked Ash.

"Oh sure," Stephanie answered the raven haired trainer, stepping out the door and joining the two.

"Alright, awesome." Ash said.

The three then headed towards the cafeteria. When they arrived and each got food, they sat down.

"So…May, I forgot to ask." "Where are the others?" Ash asked, taking a bite from his cheeseburger.

"Oh, Brock is at Pokemon Med School, Misty is still running the gym, Max went off to continue his journey, Dawn I think went to compete in contests in Johto, and Gary is still doing Pokemon research."

Ash raised an eyebrow. "And Paul?"

"I don't really know." "We haven't heard from him since the last Pokemon competition."

"Hmm…strange," Ash said.

"Who is this Paul?" Stephanie asked.

"Oh. Paul was my rival in Sinnoh." "He's the reason I disappeared for 5 years, but I was finally able to beat him in the finals 3 years ago," Ash answered the curious Elite Four.

"Oh ok," Said Stephanie.

The three continued talking about their previous adventures and other random stuff.

"I'll be right back; I gotta go refill my drink and get some ketchup for Pikachu," Ash told the two girls, getting out of his seat.

"Pika!" (Finally! I'm starving!)

Ash chuckled but left, leaving the two girls sitting in an awkward silence.

"…You like Ash don't you?" Stephanie suddenly said.

"W-What?" "No!" May answered, looking towards the ground.

"Come on May…I know you do."

"Fine, maybe…I do like him."

"Well you know what!" "You can't have him!" "He's mine!" The Elite Four member snarled.

"Oh yeah?" "Well look who he chose to room with!" The coordinator retaliated.

Stephanie was speechless, not thinking of another comeback on the spot.

Just then, Ash returned. "I'm back."

"Welcome back, Ash," Stephanie smiled sweetly at the boy.

Ash returned her smile and chuckled lightly. "Hehe…Thanks Steph."

Both girls exchanged a glare.

Ash, completely oblivious to the silent argument between the girls, yawned. "Well…I'm getting tired," He said, stretching his arms.

"Yeah, me too," Stephanie said.

"Well…we should head back to our rooms then," May told the others.

Ash nodded. "Ok, good night guys."

Stephanie went to her room, while May followed Ash to theirs.

As soon as they reached their room, Ash took off his black cloak and set it on a nearby chair, while May headed to the bathroom to take a quick shower and change. Instead of the cloak, Ash put on a plain white t-shirt and a pair of black sports pants. As he finished changing, May came out of the bathroom, dressed in a long red nightgown. Ash's jaw dropped when he caught sight of her.

"What do you think?" May asked shyly, while doing a little twirl.

"Y-You look great May…" Ash stuttered out.

May giggled and got under the covers of the king sized bed.

Ash nervously joined her under the covers, not used to being in the same bed with a girl.

May shut off the lights and said "Good night Ash."

"Good night May."

In the other room, Stephanie wasn't in her best shape. She was crying. "W-Why does Ash want to be with her?" "They're probably sleeping together right now!" Stephanie wiped the tears off her face and then clenched her fists in anger.

"No problem…I'll show that May!" "I'll show her to never go near my Ash again!" Stephanie said to herself, before slowly falling into a deep slumber.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Pokemon League

* * *

"Hello Ladies and Gentlemen, we are now arriving at the Pokemon League. Don't forget to take all of your belongings and have a nice trip," said the captain over the loudspeaker.

With those words, Ash groggily woke up and slowly began to move his arm, until he bumped into something.

He turned to his left and saw May clinging tightly to him, with her head lying on his chest.

Ash immediately blushed at the site, but decided to just brush it off and sneak out of bed without waking her.

He quickly slid out of bed and then shook her to wake her up, but May wouldn't budge.

Ash sighed. This time he shook her a little harder until she slowly opened her eyes.

"…Ash?"

"May, we're here," Ash told her, a slight blush still on his face.

"…Ok, just let me get ready," May said, while getting out of bed and heading to the bathroom, while Ash threw his black cloak on and headed out the room.

As he exited, he was surprised to see Stephanie waiting patiently for him at the front door.

"Morning," Stephanie said, clearly upset.

"Is something wrong Stephanie? You look upset…and tired."

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine."

"Ok then…May will be right out."

Stephanie couldn't help but feel angry, yet jealous. Angry at May for not staying away from Ash, but jealous that she got to share a room with Ash, yet sleep with him!

The two then stood in silence until May stepped out of the room, smiling happily. "Ok, I'm ready!"

"Great!" Ash exclaimed, walking out of the ferry with the two girls.

* * *

"Well…here we are…The Pokemon League," Ash stated.

"Wow…it's a lot bigger than I imagined," May said in awe.

Ash chuckled. "It's a lot bigger inside. "Come on!"

May followed closely to Ash, while Stephanie kind of dragged behind the group, with her arms crossed.

"Ah, it's good to see you again, Ash!" Lance said, once he laid eyes upon him.

"You too, Lance. When will the tournament begin?"

Lance smirked. "Eager are we? The tournament will occur in a couple of days, so as of now, the people are staying here, while the elite trainers train for the upcoming battles."

Ash nodded and turned to the two girls. "I'm heading to my room, so I'll see you guys in the stadium."

"Ok Ash!" May chirped happily, skipping in the direction of the stadium.

"Just when I thought my chances with Ash were close," Stephanie said with a big sigh, following May.

With nothing else said, everyone went their separate ways.

* * *

May walked into the stadium just to check it out. Her mouth gaped at what she saw. Before her stood a tall stadium with no rooftop. Along with that, were also thousands and thousands of seats all around with a wide battlefield in the center.

"Wow," May muttered.

Stephanie scoffed, already used to seeing stadiums as big as this one.

Just then Ash arrived. "Hey guys."

"Hi, Ash," Stephanie replied, rather quickly.

"Hey Stephanie, I've just found out that the other trainers are training in the training room, so let's go!"

"Oh, I thought that we'd be training in the stadium."

"I did too. Let's go, they've already started. Sorry May, but we'll catch up with you later," Ash said tugging on Stephanie's arm.

May cutely pouted, while crossing her arms. "Fine."

May then watched as Ash proceeded to drag Stephanie along with him, and Stephanie couldn't help but smile and blush from his touch.

May sighed to herself, but went along with her normal business.

Ash opened the door to the training room, which happened to be humungous. The room was similar to the battlefield that Ash and co. had recently been in, but a bit smaller, since it was used for mock battles.

"Hey, Ash!" Bruno, another member of Ash's elite four called out.

"Oh, hey how's it going Bruno?" Ash replied a grin on his face as he hugged the elite.

"Great! I was wondering if you would like to train with me," Bruno said with a smirk.

The Kanto Champion returned the smirk, grabbing a pokeball from his belt. "It'll be my pleasure."

The rest of the day went normally. The huge waves of people (including May) wandering around the Pokemon League, looking at the different sights and admiring the different battle arenas, while the elites and champions trained hard for the upcoming tournament.

"Whew, that was some training back there, huh Pikachu?" Ash said to his companion, wiping off the sweat from his forehead with his arm.

"Pika Pi," (Ah, you bet.)

"Well, let's go find May; Stephanie said she'll come soon,"

Ash and Pikachu ran around the League, hopefully spotting his coordinator friend.

"Ash! I've been waiting so long!"

Ash turned around and saw it was none other than May, before he was tackled to the ground in a hug.

Ash immediately turned bright red from the sudden contact.

"May, I think you could get off of me now," Ash said, sheepishly.

"Oh, sorry."

Both stood in an awkward silence, too shy to say anything, until Stephanie came along.

"Hey guys," The elite member said, with no emotion.

Ash was about to reply like he normally would, but something he saw made him freeze. He stood wide eyed at what he saw.

"Ash?" Stephanie said, while waving her hand in front of his face, but to no avail.

May followed Ash's gaze and also froze at what he saw.

"No….it can't be…"

"…"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Surprising Confessions

* * *

"It's been a while, Ketchum."

"…Paul? I thought you've disappeared," Ash stated, mouth gaped in disbelief.

"Pfft, of course not. I've just been training hard. Oh and I see you're Champion now," Paul said uncaringly.

Ash scoffed. "What are you even doing here anyway?"

Paul smirked. "To see you lose."

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you but I'm very happy as Champion, so I don't think I'll be giving it up anytime soon."

"Just keep telling that to yourself. Now I'm done talking to you pathetic losers," Paul said, giving a wink to Stephanie and then walking away.

Stephanie blushed before saying. "What a jerk."

"Oh, you've seen nothing yet," May replied with a frown.

Ash just shook his head. "Let's go, we'll need our rest for the tournament."

Both girls nodded and headed to their respective rooms.

* * *

"I can't believe Paul actually showed up," said Ash.

"Pika Chu," (I know. He hasn't changed a bit.)

"I just hope he won't get to me during the tournament."

"Pika Pi PikaChu!" (Don't think like that! I know you'll do great!)

Ash lightly chuckled. "Thanks Pikachu, you always know how to cheer me up."

Ash turned to see the door to his room slightly open. There in his room stood no other than…May…

"May? What are you doing here?"

"Oh…um Ash…I w-was wondering if I could sleep here with you. The room in the Pokemon center isn't as cozy and warm."

"S-Sure May…" Ash blushed taking off his cloak and getting into bed.

May giggled. "I have to change, so close your eyes Ashy."

"O-Ok t-then."

Ash continued to not peek, while May changed.

After a minute, May finished changing. "Ash I'm finished. You can look now."

Ash opened his eyes and took a glance at May.

May was wearing another night gown, except this one was a lot shorter and was a sapphire color that matched her eyes perfectly.

"How do I look?"

"Y-You look b-b-beautiful M-May," Ash stuttered, very nervous.

May was flustered. "Oh, well t-thank you Ash."

Ash nodded, patting the spot next to him, gesturing for her to get in the bed.

May slowly crawled into the bed, her tender cheeks glowing bright red.

"Well…good night May."

"Um... Ash?"

"Y-Yeah?"

"I'm cold."

"O-Oh."

"C-Can I scoot closer to you?"

"S-Sure May. I-I don't mind."

Ash was so nervous, not ever being THIS close to a girl in a bed, besides the time in the ferry when May was "accidentally" clinging to him in her sleep.

May then scooted closer to Ash. Their faces were now only a couple of inches from each other.

"A-Ash?"

"Yes?"

"Um…Can you hold me? I'm still kind of cold."

Ash's growing blush skyrocketed. "Uh…s-sure May."

Ash wrapped his arms around May's waist, while May sighed in content from the warmth.

"Thank you Ash," May said to the flustered Champion, giving him a peck on the cheek.

Ash felt like his heart would explode…but somehow the kiss made him feel rather….happy.

"No problem, May."

"Anything for you…" Ash added in a whisper.

Ash turned off the lamp on the nightstand and fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

Meanwhile

...

...

Stephanie was having another rough night. All the training and constant thinking of Ash was eating away her energy. She quickly kicked off her shoes and changed into her night clothes.

"I'm going to confess to Ash tomorrow. If I don't, I know I will regret if for the rest of my life," She thought before slowly falling asleep.

* * *

Ash woke up and turned to his left and saw that he was still holding May. He smiled and slowly shook her to wake her up. May whined cutely in her sleep, not wanting to give up the comfortable spot.

"May, it's time to wake up."

May opened her eyes. "Oh, hi Ash."

Ash smiled. "Hey. I'm gonna head out, ok?"

May returned his smile. "Okay Ashy."

Ash quickly put on his dark cloak and shoes and then headed out.

"Hi Ash," Stephanie greeted the young champion as he got out of his room.

"Oh, hello Steph. Ready to go train?"

"Yep…let's go."

Stephanie and Ash eventually made their way to the training room and started training their Pokemon.

The rest of the day went by as usual. People and travelers walked around the Pokemon League, while the elite four members and champions trained long and hard. Everyone in the training room had left, so now it was Ash and Stephanie.

"Venasaur, return!" Ash shouted, returning his Pokemon.

Stephanie walked up to Ash. "That was a good battle, Ash."

"You bet, good job Steph!"

The two exchanged a grin and a handshake.

"…Ash, I need to tell you something."

"Hmm? What's up Steph?" Ash curiously asked, tilting his head.

Stephanie took a deep breath. It was now or never.

"Ash…I love you!"

"Huh? Y-You l-love m-me?" Ash stood wide eyed.

Stephanie sighed. "Yes Ash. Ever since I first laid my eyes upon you, I instantly fell for you. Your smile…your heart…and you're never ending enthusiasm. So…to get straight to the point…Ash? Will you do me the honor of being my boyfriend?

Ash stood there, staring straight into her eyes.

"Stephanie…I'm flattered you like me that way...and I love you…but only as a friend."

Stephanie's lower lip trembled.

Ash sighed, but continued.

"There's someone else…I'm sorry."

"It's May…isn't it?"

Ash could only nod but took Stephanie into a hug, while she cried her eyes out.

"A-Ash…w-why her? And not m-me?"

"Sh-Sh, please don't cry Stephanie." Ash whispered reassuringly.

Stephanie stopped crying and sniffled. "Friends then?"

Ash slowly nodded and smiled at her. "Of course…best friends."

Stephanie returned the raven haired boy's smile. "Ok…let's go then."

Both of them walked out and met up with May.

"Hey May," Ash and Stephanie said in unison.

"Hey guys."

Ash yawned. "Well…sorry about the brief meeting, but I'll be heading to bed…so I'll see you guys in the morning.

May stopped Ash, by grabbing onto his arm.

"Ash?"

"Huh? What is it?"

"Could I sleep with you again?"

Ash flustered, but couldn't resist her pleading puppy dog eyes. "Oh um…sure why not?"

Stephanie felt a small stab of jealousy, but was slowly getting over the fact of them being together. In fact, she thought it was quite cute.

"Yay! Let's go!" May wrapped her arm around Ash's.

The two headed off to Ash's room, while Stephanie headed to her's.

Stephanie sighed as she changed into her night clothes and kicked off her shoes. Just as she did so, her door opened slowly.

She looked up and saw…

"Paul? What are you doing here?"

"Well…I saw you guys back at the League, and you looked kinda upset so I thought I'd check up on you."

Stephanie raised her eyebrow. "What's up with Mr. Nice Guy? The other day you acted like a jerk."

"Yes…but I felt like cheering you up a bit," Paul replied, blushing.

Stephanie, too blushed.

"So…what's wrong?"

"Well…I just asked Ash if he would be my boyfriend, but got turned down."

"Oh."

"So I guess…I've been feeling a bit lonely lately."

Stephanie got cut off as Paul kissed her with passion.

Stephanie blushed, but slowly started to kiss back.

Paul grinned. "How about that?"

Stephanie looked away, with a huge blush forming across her face.

"Stephanie, you're a beautiful girl. I haven't really gotten to know you too much, but my heart tells me that you're something…special."

Stephanie smiled at his words and took him into a hug. "Thank you, Paul."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: First Engagement

* * *

It was another morning and Ash had another great night of sleep…with May. Ash and May did their normal morning routine and headed to the stadium. Today was the day of the tournament.

As they got closer to the tournament, they could hear the huge waves of cheers in the stadium. Everyone had been overly excited for the matches and the first handful of matches had been occurring. Ash's first battle was soon, so he had to be prepared to make his entrance.

"May, I have to go; you go ahead and enjoy the matches, ok?"

"Ok, Ash. I'll be cheering for you." May said, giving him a wink.

The duo then went their separate ways.

As he made his way to the training room, he heard his name being called over the loudspeaker. "This will be a 3 on 3 battle between Bruno and Ashton Ketchum!" Ash smirked and ran onto the battlefield.

Many of the guests had applauded due to his sudden presence on the field and gave loud cheers for the upcoming battle. Ash took a glance at his opponent and it was none other than Bruno. Although Ash had won the mock battle against him, Bruno was still confident he could beat the champion.

"Best of luck to you Ash."

Ash grinned. "Right back at you, Bruno."

Bruno took a battle stance before calling out his first Pokemon.

"Go, Hitmonlee!"

"Lucario, battle stance!" Ash shouted before releasing the blue-jackal Pokemon.

"Hitmonlee, start with double kick!"

"Lucario, Aura Sphere!"

The bright, blue ball of aura made contact with the lunging Hitmonlee, but didn't do much harm.

Bruno gave Ash a teasing smirk. "Don't think you can get rid of me that easily."

Ash chuckled. "Oh, the fun doesn't end here."

Bruno said nothing else, but called out his next move. "Hitmonlee, Double Team!"

"Lucario, Quick Attack mixed with Force Palm!"

Lucario nodded to his trainer, taking off with great speed taking out each Hitmonlee clone one by one with a Force Palm Attack.

"Now, Hitmonlee! Hi Jump Kick!"

Just as Lucario was close to eliminating each clone, Bruno's Pokemon revealed itself, kicking Lucario high into the air.

"Lucario! Don't give up! Use Dragon Pulse!"

"Hitmonlee, stop it with Protect!"

Hitmonlee quickly threw up a greenish sphere around itself as it guarded the pulse flawlessly.

"Lucario, Extreme Speed!"

Lucario stopped his attack and vanished into thin air.

Bruno became frustrated with the Champion's tactics and shouted. "Hitmonlee, Earthquake!"

Nothing happened, but Lucario reappeared before sending another Aura Sphere straight to Hitmonlee.

"Hitmonlee!"

"Hitmonlee is unable to battle! This round goes to the Ashton Ketchum, the Kanto Champion!"

Bruno sighed in defeat and recalled his Pokemon. "Great job Hitmonlee. Now take a good rest."

"Go, Hitmonchan!"

Ash recalled Lucario as well. "Very good work out there. Now you take a good rest too."

"Go, Pidgeot!"

"This will be the battle between Hitmonchan and Pidgeot! Begin!"

Ash made the first move this time. "Pidgeot, Fly!"

"Hitmonchan, stop it with Sky Uppercut!"

Hitmonchan dived into the air with Pidgeot and threw a punch at its gut. However, being the normal and flying type Pidgeot was, the attack didn't have too much effect, but it was still a good hit.

"Counter with Wing Attack!"

Pidgeot had returned the favor of attack Hitmonchan and sent if flying into a wall of the stadium.

"Hitmonchan, get up!"

"Hurry and use Aerial Ace!"

"Hitmonchan, dodge it!"

Hitmonchan got up quickly and did a quick flip to get out of the way.

"Pidgeot, another Aerial Ace!"

Pidgeot came close to the boxing-like Pokemon, when suddenly; Bruno pulled another trick out of his sleeve.

"Thunderpunch!"

Ash smacked his forehead for forgetting Hitmonchan was capable of learning that.

Each of the trainer's pokemon engaged in a fierce charge at each other. Aerial Ace and Thunderpunch collided and the winners of the round were revealed once the big cloud of dust disappeared.

"Both Pokemon are unable to continue! This round is a tie!"

"That was a good trick, but it won't save you the match!" Ash shouted to the fighting elite.

"Same goes for you, Ketchum!" Bruno replied with a sly grin.

Bruno unhooked another pokeball from his belt before releasing the Pokemon inside of it.

"Machamp!"

"I see you're using your powerhouse already," Ash stated.

"You bet. I thought I wouldn't even use him," the elite replied, with just a little too much cockiness.

Ash smiled. "Charizard! Show who's the real powerhouse!"

Charizard growled, eager to battle. The audience all around started to stare at Charizard in awe before erupting into another wave of cheers.

"Machamp, start this off with a Dynamic Punch!"

"Charizard, dodge!"

Charizard roared, ascending into the sky.

"Machamp, Leer!"

"Charizard, close your eyes! Don't let him get to you!"

Charizard did as he was told, luckily avoiding the attack.

"Steel Wing!"

"Machamp, grab ahold of Charizard."

Ash smirked, already knowing his next move.

"Charizard, Seismic Toss!"

"Not this time. Machamp, Hyper Beam!"

Machamp opened its mouth and unleashed a powerful beam down at Charizard.

Charizard groaned in pain and helplessly began falling to the ground, while Machamp also made contact with the rough terrain.

Both of their trainers were yelling at them to get up and to brush off the attack.

The fire dragon and four armed fighting Pokemon each stood up and glared menacingly at each other.

"Machamp, Cross Chop!"

"Charizard, give em' a Flamethrower!"

The fire dragon's ray of flames shot out at Machamp, who was weakening quickly.

"Machamp, you've got to hang in there!"

"Charizard, come on! Show em' everything you've got!"

Charizard's attack suddenly seemed to strengthen due to his trainer's encouragement.

"Char!"

The next scene that was revealed to the audience including the opponents on the field was Charizard panting heavily with Machamp on the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"Machamp is unable to battle! Ashton Ketchum wins!"

Each audience member rooted for the victory of the Champion, but was also sad to see a strong trainer they looked up to be eliminated.

"That was a good match, Ash," Bruno said to the young man, extending his arm out to him.

Ash gave him his trademark smile and gladly returned the gesture. "It was. Thank you for the challenge."

Bruno nodded and left the battleground as well as Ash.

* * *

"Ash!" Cried an overly excited May.

"Hey Ma-"Ash started to say before getting tackled into yet another hug.

"Oh Arceus, you won!"

Ash blushed from the arrangement he was in. May was directly on top of him with her arms wrapped around his torso. Little did he know, he was being watched.

"Um…Ash?"

Ash jumped up in surprise, pushing May off of him. "Stephanie!"

"Good job with your match."

"Thanks…hey! What's he doing here?" Ash growled in anger, pointing a finger at Paul.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but you did ok, Ketchum."

"And why are you holding hands?!"

Stephanie and Paul both blushed, while May was cheering inwardly for possibly having Ash to herself.

"Well…we're kinda going out now," Stephanie replied.

"Why would you go out with him!?" Ash practically screamed, earning a few stares from people passing by.

"Well I saw her upset the other night, so I thought I'd confront her. Big Deal." Paul said, acting as if he had a care in the world.

May gave a sly smile. "Paul…a softie?"

Paul blushed. "Hey!"

Ash just shook his head slightly. "Maybe…you aren't so bad Paul?" The champion said, gesturing for a handshake.

Paul stared at his hand hesitantly before shaking it.

Ash pulled away from the handshake. "Oh, Stephanie how did your match go?"

Stephanie looked down in shame. "I lost."

"Aww…that's too bad Stephanie. I'm sure you did great either way." Ash said reassuringly.

Stephanie nodded.

"Are you ok?" Paul whispered to her.

"Yeah, I will be," the elite replied, leaning her head on his shoulder.

Paul turned back to Ash. "Well...good luck with your next matches I guess…you'll need it."

Ash grinned. "I'll take that for my encouragement."

Paul smirked. "Well…Stephanie and I will be going…so I'll see you guys around."

The brunette coordinator and the Champion both nodded, leaving as well. Oblivious to Ash, May had been jumping up and down inwardly, happier than a little kid on Christmas Day.

"Now that I don't have to worry about Stephanie…I can finally have a chance with Ash," May thought, smiling for all the things her and Ash would do…as a new couple.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Shipping to the Advance!

* * *

Some more time had passed and the tournament went by smoothly. Ash had so far won all of his matches as well as the other champions. However, each of the elite four members had been eliminated, so Ash was watching the match between Lance and Wallace.

"Dragonite, end this with Dragon Rage!" Lance nearly shouted at the top of his lungs, eager to end the match.

"Milotic!"

The audience including Ash watched as Dragonite ended the battle by throwing a big powerful orb from its mouth at the helpless Milotic, which was on the edge of fainting.

…

"Milotic is unable to continue! Lance, the Champion of Johto wins and will be moving onto the finals!"

Wallace returned his Pokemon and walked up to Lance.

"Good match Lance," Wallace said, shaking hands with him.

Lance chuckled. "Great match. You almost had me with that Hydro Pump."

Wallace gave a grin and a nod, and then headed out the stadium, as well as Lance, who did the same.

Ash got up from his seat and went to the training room to meet up with Lance.

* * *

"Nice battling there, Lance," Ash said, walking up to the Champion.

"Thank you, Ash. But you should know that you and I will be going against each other in the finals, so don't expect me to go easy on you," Lance said, giving a smirk to the boy.

Ash smiled in return. "Haha, well don't expect me to take it easy on you either."

"Sounds good, Ash. I've got to go, but I'll be wishing you luck in the match."

"Alright Lance. I'll see you later then."

With no further conversing, Lance left. The raven haired champion was also about to leave as well, but was stopped as someone else walked in.

"May?"

"H-Hi Ash."

Ash had on a curious look. "What are you doing here, May? Aren't you supposed to be in the stadium?"

"Well…yes, but I wanted to see you…and I kinda had to tell you something important."

Ash looked even more confused. "Ok, so what did you have to tell..?"

Ash was cut off as May pressed her lips against his.

The raven haired boy stood wide eyed, but eventually gave into the kiss, kissing her back.

"…Ash?"

"May…?"

May pulled away from the kiss, still leaving Ash in a surprised state.

"Ash…I've been meaning to tell you this for a while, but I've been having these strange feelings for you ever since I've been away from you all these years. I guess I felt like I was missing something and finally being near you again filled up the space I was missing. Ash Ketchum, ever since I've laid my eyes on you, I instantly fell for you. Your never ending enthusiasm, care towards your friends and Pokemon, your smile, and that heart of yours…I've always loved most about you."

May gulped and set her gaze towards the ground. "I guess what I'm trying to say is…I love you. I can understand if you don't feel the same way since there are many other girls after you. And besides, why would you like me that way."

"May," Ash whispered, lifting up her chin, so she could see deep into his chocolate, brown eyes. "I never said that I didn't like you."

May still had that upset look. "Yeah…but not the way I do."

"May. To be honest I have fallen quite hard for you too."

May looked back into his eyes. "Are you serious?"

Ash nodded. "I suppose you could call it love at first sight because when I first met you back at Professor Birch's Lab, I felt butterflies in my stomach and also felt a lot weaker in my knees. And all those times of traveling together made me grow closer to you, but I've been too scared to talk to you. I've always thought you liked your rival Drew more than me."

May squealed, and pulled Ash close. "Oh Ash! I'm so glad you feel the same. But you don't need to worry about Drew. He's a good rival and friend, but I've never thought any more of him."

Ash smiled and leaned in for another kiss. May took the cue and also leaned in. The two were brought in for a loving, and more passionate kiss than the first, which sealed their new relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend.

"I love you, Ash."

"I love you too May."

The two kissed yet again, until the door to the room opened.

"I hope we're not interrupting something."

Ash and May pulled away and looked at Paul, who stood there with a sly grin.

"Paul…? Stephanie…?"

"So…are you guys together?" Stephanie asked breaking the silence.

The new couple looked at each other with a blush growing on their cheeks. "I guess so…" They both answered in unison.

"About time too. I saw the way you guys were flirting with each other and looking all lovey dovey on your travels," Paul said, with an arm around Stephanie.

Ash and May both looked away from embarrassment.

"Haha, I was just kidding around, guys."

Stephanie smiled. "Well…I'm happy for you guys."

May returned the elite's smile. "Thanks."

Paul looked towards Ash. "We've got to leave, but I'm looking forward to the finals match."

Ash nodded and the two left.

"Ash…?"

"Yes May?"

May leaned on his shoulder. "When do you think we'll be married?"

"M-M-MARIED?!"

May giggled at his expression and left the room.

Ash stood in the room alone, surprised and also began walking out the room.

"Women…"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Lance and his Three Dragonites Part 1

* * *

After a long day of waiting from the audience and training for the two champions, the finals match finally occurred. It was the Champion of Johto vs. the Champion of Kanto.

Right at this moment, we join our favorite hero, Ash Ketchum, who was now making out with his new girlfriend, May Maple.

After an eternity, Ash forcefully pulled away from their kiss, leaving May with a sad look.

"Sorry May, but I've got to go. My match starts now!"

"Aw…fine Ash. I'll be watching," May said, giving the boy a wink.

Ash quickly kissed May's cheek and ran to the battlefield. "Ok, love you."

Ash walked into the stadium and was greeted with more cheers from the thousands of guests and audience. As he made his way to his side of the field, he saw Lance giving him a wide grin.

"May the best man win."

Ash looked over to Lance and saw his eyes filled with determination. He knew that Lance would be a challenge, but he too was determined to win over the championship trophy.

Ash nodded in reply, while giving his trademark smile. "You bet. Good luck to you, Lance."

"This will be a full 6 on 6 battle between the Champions: Lance and Ash Ketchum. Substitutions will be allowed. Begin!"

Lance grabbed ahold of one his pokeballs from his belt and hurled it onto the field.

"Gyrados, I'm in need of your assistance!"

Ash did the same action as Lance. Grabbing and then throwing one of his pokeballs onto the field.

"Go, Venasaur!"

The two Pokemon on the field looked at each other fiercely, yet eager to please their masters.

"Venasaur, Razor Leaf!"

"Gyrados, Twister!"

Gyrados threw a large tornado towards the razor sharp leaves blowing them away.

"Now use Ice Beam!"

"Venasaur, counter with Solar Beam!"

At the last moment, Venasaur launched a powerful beam of light from its bulb, which burst through the Ice Beam.

"Gyrados, Flamethrower!"

"Oh no," Ash thought, starting to become paranoid.

The flamethrower shot straight out of the water dragon's mouth and at the idle plant monster, who fell to the floor.

"Come on Venasaur! Get up!"

"Gyrados, end this with Dragon Rage!"

"Venasaur, Protect!"

In response, Venasaur threw up a greenish orb around itself, which was successful in blocking off the attack.

"Now use Leech Seed!"

Venasaur threw several seeds at Gyrados, which successfully landed, sucking small bits of life from its opponent.

"Gyrados! Ignore it and use a full powered Hyper Beam!"

"You too Venasaur! Give em' a Solar Beam!"

The two Pokemon obeyed their trainers and both shot their powerful beams which collided fiercely.

After the dust cloud had disappeared from the impact…

"Venasaur is unable to battle! Lance and his Gyrados win!"

Ash returned his Pokemon and looked up at Lance. "You might've won this round, but you won't be so lucky next time."

Lance had on an amused expression. "Is that so? Show me what you've got."

"Pikachu, I choose you!"

"Lance's Gyrados against Ash's Pikachu! Begin!"

"Gyrados, Earthquake!"

"Pikachu hurry up! Get out of there!"

Pikachu waited for the Earthquake attack to near, and then leapt high into the air.

"Now use Volt Tackle!"

Pikachu was then surrounded in a bright yellow aura, which he then charged at the Gyrados awaiting for his master's command.

"Counter with Aqua Tail!"

"Pikachu, you know what to do!"

Pikachu did a somersault in the air, avoiding the attack and hitting Gyrados with great force, causing it to faint instantly.

…

"Gyrados is unable to continue! This round goes to Ash and his Pikachu!"

Ash smirked. "Told ya, Lance."

Lance gave his own smirk. "I see you've kept your word, but let's see how you handle this."

"Go! Aerodactyl!"

"Pikachu, I need you to come back! Your electric attacks won't have any effect on Aerodactyl."

"Pika." Pikachu said, nodding.

Pikachu ran over to Ash and jumped onto his shoulder as he pulled another Pokeball out from his belt.

"Blastoise, I'm in need of your assistance!"

"Make the first move, Ash."

"Ok, Blastoise, start this up with a Hydro Pump!"

"Haha, not so fast! Dodge and then use Thunderfang."

"Blastoise, use Rapid Spin combined with Skull Bash!"

Aerodactyl attempted to bite at Blastoise's thick shell, but to not much use and was instead hit to the ground.

The fossil Pokemon got up with ease and flapped its wings, ascending from the ground.

"Aerodactyl, charge in with Agility and then use Iron Head!"

"Blastoise, Hydro Pump!"

Blastoise quickly withdrew into its shell and spun rays of water everywhere hitting its opponent in the process.

"Aerodactyl, fly towards Blastoise and then Crunch!"

Aerodactyl took off like a bullet, flying high into the sky.

"Blastoise, Withdraw!"

Blastoise went back into its shell and then braced itself for the following attack.

"Giga Impact!"

"Blastoise, Hydro Canon!"

Just as things were looking good for our hero, Lance's Pokemon flew to the side barely dodging the attack.

"Aerodactyl, Giga Impact!"

Aerodactyl was surrounded in a bright white light and quickly crashed into Blastoise. As the devastating blow had finally ended, Blastoise slowly fell to its knees and then face planted into the hard, solid ground.

"Blastoise is unable to battle! Aerodactyl wins!"

Lance grinned at the boy. "Given up yet?"

Ash shook his head. "You kidding? I'm just getting warmed up!"

"Your loss then." Lance teasingly said.

Ash held a firm grip onto another pokeball and then released the Pokemon inside.

"Lucario, allow my aura to guide you."

"Yes, master."

Ash began to talk to Lucario telepathically, a critical skill that he has gained in his many years of training and strong bondage with his Pokemon.

"Aerodactyl, Ancient Power!"

Just then, Lucario took off with Extreme Speed and easily avoided the hurling rocks. Lance's Pokemon was just then hit by an attack that sent it flying into one of the walls of the stadium.

"B-But how?" Lance finally managed to stutter out, stunned that Lucario was able to fight on its own and with such skill.

"That right there…is telepathy. It's a skill that Lucario and I have learned through our strong bond and training. I'm also an aura user, so it is much easier to communicate with him like that rather than a normal human being would.

Lance was starting to become frustrated and turned to look at the referee with a frown. "Is that legal?!"

The ref. shrugged. "As long as the trainer is commanding its Pokemon to battle, then it's perfectly fine.

Lance let out a sigh. "Alright then… Aerodactyl, charge in with a Crunch attack!"

Aerodactyl nodded to its master and flew at the blue jackal Pokemon, only to hit hard with an Aura Sphere.

Lance practically had steam coming through his nose. "HYPER BEAM!"

Yet again, Aerodactyl did as told, but was panting heavily from constantly fighting. It opened its mouth and unleashed a weakened Hyper Beam, which was easily dodged by Lucario.

Before Lance could even react, Aerodactyl was met with yet another fury of attacks. Left and right, his Pokemon was hit and hit…blow after blow, until…

"Aerodactyl is unable to battle! Ash Ketchum and his Lucario win!"

"Return, Aerodactyl."

Lance glanced at its pokeball, with a small smile escaping his lips. "You did very well. Take a nice rest now."

"Charizard, I'm in need for your assistance!"

The pokeball spilled a bright white light, which revealed a strong, intimidating looking fire dragon, which everyone stared at in amazement.

"Lucario, you come back too. I have a special someone, who would like to fight this match. Ash said with his knowing smirk."

Lucario nodded. "I understand, master. I am honored for being allowed to battle for you." It said as it was engulfed in a light red light.

"Charizard, come on out!"

Now it was Ash's Charizard's turn to take the stage as many began to watch in awe at the strong looking fire dragon Pokemon, who roared and looked across the battlefield at the other Charizard.

Lance grinned. "Well this shall be interesting."

"Go ahead Lance. I would be honored if you took the first move."

"It will be my pleasure. Charizard! Use Fly!"

"Charizard, you use Fly too!"

Both Charizards flew high into the sky.

"Charizard, Dragon Rage!"

"You too, Charizard!"

Each of the Champions' Pokemon began attacking each other with all sorts of attacks. Flamethrowers, Dragon Rages, and a wide range of fire attacks.

"Smoke Screen and then grab ahold of Ash's Charizard!" Lance shouted, loud enough for his Pokemon to hear.

His Charizard puffed a cloud of smoke from its mouth and grabbed onto both of its opponent's wings in a tight grip.

Ash instantly knew what to do in this type of situation and shouted out his next order. "Charizard, you know what to do!"

"Charizard began to twirl itself with its opponent causing it to be temporarily stunned. Nobody could see what was going on since there was a huge, dark smoke cloud hovering over the sky.

At this moment, a loud crash could be heard as well as a couple of thuds. Everything was still covered by the light smokescreen as well as the dust cloud that had been formed from the impact of the ground.

…

The crowd had watching intently, still very intrigued by every moment that passed in the stadium.

After a minute, everything became clear.

"Both Pokemon are unable to continue, so this round will be a tie! Both trainers are now down to their final 3 Pokemon…so without any further interruptions…trainers! Please send out your next Pokemon!"

Ash and Lance shifted their gaze from the judge to each other, both having the same thoughts. "…May the better man win."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Lance and his Three Dragonites Part 2

* * *

Lance slowly withdrew another ball from his belt and tossed it onto the field. "Dragonite, don't fail me now."

Ash did the same. "Pidgeot! I'm counting on you!"

…

So it all came down to this. Each of the champions with their final 3 Pokemon, fighting to their fullest. Without any further silence, the only things left for the referee was to say…

"Begin!"

"Dragonite, Twister!"

"Pidgeot, Whirlwind!"

Both Pokemon threw a powerful wave of wind at each other, which fortunately, hit Dragonite.

"Pidgeot, go in for a Wing Attack!"

Pidgeot dived towards the ground at the weakened Dragonite before Lance shouted. "Dragon Rage."

Dragonite opened its mouth and threw a bright yellow orb at the diving Pidgeot.

"Pidgeot!"

"Now! Dragonite, Hyper Beam!"

Dragonite, again opened its mouth and unleashed a powerful beam towards the ground.

As the smoke from the impact died down, Pidgeot was nowhere to be seen. Ash looked up and saw Pidgeot flying high in the sky, perfectly unharmed.

Lance threw a fit. "Unbelievable."

This was Ash's chance. Lance's Dragonite had to recharge for one round due to Hyper Beam's after effect. He would not let a chance like this go to waste.

"Pidgeot, you use Hyper Beam too! Full power!"

"Geot!" Pidgeot shouted, throwing the same beam, similar to Dragonite's.

"Dragonite!" Lance shouted.

And there lying on the rough ground was Lance's Dragonite, out cold.

"Dragonite is unable to battle! Ash Ketchum and his Pidgeot win!"

"Your chances are running slim, Lance," Ash said to the champion with a smirk.

Lance chuckled at the boy's confidence. "You'll be surprised to see this."

"Dragonite, show them how a real Pokemon battles!"

"Huh, should've known he would use all of his Dragonites," Ash muttered.

"Begin!"

"Pidgeot, start with Quick Attack!"

"Dragonite, Dragon Rush!"

Both Pokemon slammed into each other, trying to gain the advantage, but were met with an equal blow that sent them both flying in the opposite direction.

Both trainers looked in shock.

"Pidgeot!"

"Dragonite!"

The two Pokemon stood up and glared at each other.

"Pidgeot, don't give em' another chance! Agility combined with Aerial Ace!"

Pidgeot took off faster than lightning, charging in with Agility and then using an Aerial Ace attack.

"Dragonite, counter with Thunderwave!"

"Oh shoot," Ash thought, remembering the time when a single Thunderwave cost him the entire round. But it was too late for Ash to shout his next order, because Pidgeot had already been paralyzed.

"Wrap!"

Dragonite began to wrap itself around Pidgeot.

"Now Thunderbolt!"

Dragonite released a charge of electricity from its mouth as it shocked the palayzed Pidgeot. Ash watched in horror as Dragonite slowly released Pidgeot, who fell to the floor helpless.

"Pidgeot is unable to continue! Lance and his Dragonite win the round!"

Up in the crowd, May was beginning to get worried. "Oh no…both of them only have two Pokemon left…Ash…I know you can do it…I believe in you."

Ash reached for his belt and took out yet another ball. "Lucario!"

Lucario's eyes were closed as it was scanning the environment around itself. He slowly opened them after a moment and saw a Dragonite on the end of the field, panting.

"Alright Lucario, I need you to start this round with Quick Attack!"

"Yes master."

Lucario quickly took off, charging with his attack.

"Dragonite, Dragon Rush!"

Dragonite charged in again with its tail glowing bright white.

"Lucario, dodge it!"

Lucario easily dodged the attack from Dragonite and landed perfectly on its legs.

"Now Aura Sphere!"

Lucario quickly shut its eyes and threw an Aura Sphere at Dragonite's backside.

"Dragonite come on! Use a strong flamethrower!"

"Lucario, you use Dragon Pulse!"

Dragonite shot a flamethrower from its mouth at Lucario, while Lucario threw its attack from its palms at the flamethrower that was closing in on him.

The collision from the two, shot a huge dust cloud in the air, hiding the winner from the audience.

…

"Lucario and Dragonite are both unable to battle, so this round is another tie! Each trainer is now down to their final Pokemon!"

Lance and Ash exchanged each of their famous smirks and nodded to each other.

"Dragonite! This is all up to you!"

Ash looked to yet another Dragonite and sighed. "He sure likes to have variety in his team doesn't he, Pikachu?"

"PikaPi."

"Well…go get em' Pikachu."

Pikachu jumped off its master's shoulder and ran closer to the field.

"Your move, Lance."

Lance grinned and shook his head. "Your mistake, lad."

"Dragonite, Hidden Power!"

Dragonite shut its eyes and began collecting white orbs around its body, which it then released and threw at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, Discharge!"

Pikachu's body suddenly began glowing bright yellow, which then bright sparks of electricity released and hit the white particles, dissolving them.

Lance clenched his teeth. "Dragonite, use Dragon Rage!"

Dragonite threw the attack at Pikachu, catching it off guard.

"Pikachu!"

Pikachu began tumbling on the ground, groaning in pain.

"Pikachu, get out of there fast!"

"Pikachu eventually got up and dashed, avoiding another attack from Lance's Pokemon. Attack after attack, Pikachu occasionally getting hit, while get lucky and avoiding the rest. Just when things couldn't get worse.

"Dragonite, Draco Meteor!"

Dragonite flew itself into the air and began to shriek. Soon, huge glowing meteorites emerged from the sky charging at Pikachu.

Ash's girlfriend, May, was becoming extremely anxious and closed her eyes, hoping for a miracle to occur.

Just then, an idea popped into Ash's mind.

"Pikachu, Dig!"

Pikachu followed his master's order and burrowed itself into the ground, barely avoiding some of the meteors.

Ash sighed in relief and wiped a drip of sweat from his forehead.

The whole audience tensed up, also anxious for what was about to happen.

Lance was practically screaming inside. "UGH!"

Draco Meteor being one of the strongest Dragon type attacks must require the Pokemon to recharge for a temporary amount of time, much like Hyper Beam and Giga Impact.

Ash had a bright grin showing new hope. "Pikachu! Volt Tackle!"

Pikachu burst out of the ground and was surrounded in a bright yellow aura.

"PIKAA!"

Pikachu lunged into Dragonite's stomach with the last bit of energy it had left.

Dragonite slowly fell into the ground, knocked out. Pikachu on the other hand was on the edge of fainting too, but endured the pain for his trainer.

"Lance's last Pokemon is unable to continue! Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and his Pikachu win!"

The entire stadium released a loud cry of cheers and applauses as Ash smiled brightly to the crowd, waving to them.

Ash then walked over to the announcer, who was holding the Chamionship Tournament trophy.

"Congratulations, Ash! You certainly are the best of the best," the announcer said handing over the trophy.

Ash gladly took it and stood on a podium a couple of meters away from the battlefield, where he would give his short speech. He cleared his throat and started to talk into the microphone. "Hello everyone. As you already know I am Ash Ketchum. The boy from Pallet Town. The reason I've come here today is to not only prove to you all that I'm the best trainer in the world, but to also hopefully inspire those of you that anything is possible. If you don't believe me, I've started my journey as a small ten year old boy with a dream. And guess what? Right now, I'm standing here today as the new Champion of Kanto. And for that, I am truly honored. I would like to thank my friends, rivals, and my beautiful girlfriend…May, for pushing me further to help me achieve my goals. Without you guys, I could never be where I am today. So…thank you for listening to my speech. And I love you all. Thank you.

Ash heard many more cheers from the audience as he hopped off the podium. As he stepped off…the announcer for the tournament took the microphone. "Thank you everyone for watching this special Championship Tournament. I wish you all a good day and we'll be seeing you next time!"

Everyone started to get up from their seats and head towards the ferries on their ways home.

"Ash!"

Ash turned around and smiled. "Hey May."

The two hugged each other tightly. "Awesome job out there, Ash! You truly are the best!"

"Thanks, May, but you mean so much more to me than some title."

May giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him passionately.

They stayed like that for a couple of minutes, before they were interrupted by giggles.

The couple broke apart and saw Stephanie and Paul watching them with amused expressions.

"Not bad out there Ketchum," Paul said with a grin.

"Yeah, that was awesome!" Stephanie added.

"Heh, thanks guys," Ash said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, with a small blush tinging his cheeks.

"Well, we better be heading home. The ferry will be leaving soon!" May exclaimed, dashing off.

Stephanie had a surprised look. "Oh yeah…wait up May!"

Ash and Paul both looked at each other with a smile on their faces. "…Women."


	9. Epilogue

**Afterwards**

* * *

Over the course of the years, many things have happened. Ash and Paul have become very good friends…Paul and Stephanie got married…and now our favorite Kanto Champion is soon to be married. Except, Ash isn't the new Kanto Champion anymore. He's the new Pokemon Master. Yep, you read that right. After many more years of training and competing, Ash Ketchum finally gained the title of a Master. It was hard work for the young man, but it eventually paid off for him.

Right at this moment, is the new Master's wedding, where he would be married to his beloved girlfriend, May Maple.

The couple decided to hold the wedding just in a small field of Pallet Town. In that field was everything you would expect in at a wedding. There was the wedding cake, hundreds of seats, and of course the priest, who would bring the couple together in marriage. In the many seats, were all of Ash's friends and family, May's friends and family, the elite four and champions, and many other invited guests.

At the front, stood Ash and his best man, Brock. Both of them waited patiently for the bride and maid of honor to walk down the aisle.

* * *

"May! It will be alright!" Misty shouted.

"I know, but I-I can't help but feel nervous. I've been dreaming of this day for so long…but when it finally came…"

"Then make that dream come true! Seriously May, there's nothing to be nervous about! You're about to be married to Ash Ketchum, so I want you to go down that aisle and marry the guy of your dreams!"

May let out a deep breath. "A-Alright. I'm ready."

The duo left Ash's house and started to walk towards the field, where the wedding was held. As the came near, everyone began to stand up from their seats and watched as May and Misty walked down the aisle of the many guests to Ash and Brock.

When they came to the front, Misty and May stood on opposite sides of the two men, while all the guest sat back down.

This was when the priest spoke up. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in sight of the god of Pokemon, Arceus, and in the face of this company, to join this man and woman in holy Matrimony. If any of the guests have any objections for why this couple should not be wed, then please speak up now or forever hold your peace.

Everybody remained silent, so the priest continued.

"Very well. The bride and groom will now say their vows to each other. The groom may now speak."

Ash glanced at his piece of paper and began to read. "May, you are the sunshine of my day and the moonlight of my night. I have cared deeply for you ever since I've laid my eyes upon you in your new adventure from Hoenn… and I thank Arceus for giving me the chance to marry the most beautiful girl in the world here today. I look forward to taking each breath with you in my life as well as seeing your beautiful face each morning I wake up. I will love you forever, May Maple."

May's lips started to crack into a warm smile, with fresh tears emerging from her eyes.

"Now the bride may read her vow."

May nodded and began to read as well. "Ash, from the moment I've first saw you, I knew you were the one. Your caring personality, your enthusiasm, and the kindness you have shown me…have made me grow closer to you in the years. You've done me the honor of being my boyfriend all these years and now you will do me the honor of being my husband for the rest of my life. I love you, Ash Ketchum.

It was now Ash's turn to smile and slightly, but noticeably tear up.

"Alright. The rings?" The priest began.

Just now, Max, May's brother walked up with a pillow that held two rings.

Ash picked up his ring and slid it onto May's finger. May followed his action.

After that had been done, the priest turned to Ash. "Ash, do you take May Maple to be your lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to dear Arceus' holy ordinance?"

A tear fell down Ash's cheek as he gave off a bright smile and a nod. "I do."

"And do you, May Maple take Ash Ketchum to be your lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to Arceus' holy ordinance?"

May nodded and smiled. "I do."

The priest gave one final nod and said. "Then I now pronounce you husband and wife. Ash, you may now kiss the bride."

Ash threw the veil covering May's face back and leaned in for a passionate, yet loving kiss. In the crowd, everyone gave a round of applause and cheers to celebrate the newly wed couple.

Ash soon pulled away from their kiss and looked into May's eyes. "I love you."

May stared up at Ash's chocolate colored eyes and smiled. "I love you too, Ash. But when is our honeymoon?"

Ash chuckled and rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Haha…about that…"

May frowned. "You didn't book it, did you?"

"Oh… uh! Coming mom!" Ash said, running away.

May sweatdropped at the scene, but couldn't help but smile. "…Oh Ash."

* * *

**(A few days later)**

Ash had quickly booked a vacation to the Orange Islands, where he and May would spend their honeymoon.

"Ah! This is great!" Ash walked out of the ferry with a suitcase in one hand, admiring the view.

"Yeah…but what makes this trip amazing is spending it with you Ash," May said resting her head on his shoulder.

Ash blushed and kissed May on the cheek. "I feel the same way May."

May blushed and noticed something that caught her eye. "Hey! Isn't that Brock!"

Ash turned around, confused. "What the heck? What's he doing here?"

"Ash!" Brock shouted, running towards them.

"Um…hi Brock. Not to be rude…but what are you doing here?"

"Well if you didn't happen to know, Nurse Joy and I got married." Brock replied with one arm around her shoulder and a proud grin.

"Um…Brock? That's a cardboard cutout of Nurse Joy." May said.

Brock then fell down anime style. "But the package promised me a real life Nurse Joy!"

Ash and May sweatdropped. "Oh Brock…"

* * *

**Enjoyed it? Leave a review and don't forget to favorite! **

**Special thanks to Yeah Her for beta reading this. (Thanks for being awesome!)**

**And thanks to Hurricaneking1 for some of the ideas I've used in the story.**

**Until next time…R&R! More stories are to come, so don't miss out on them :) **


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